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Veterans agent aims to serve

Bob Johnson has been the veterans agent in Groton for more than six years. COURTESY PHOTO

GROTON -- One of the most rewarding parts of Bob Johnson's job as the town's veterans agent is bringing comfort to a soldier's loved ones by honoring their service when they are killed in war.

Last year, Johnson got to partner with two different Eagle Scout projects to commission stone monuments that did exactly that. The first, which was dedicated on Nov. 10, honors Sgt. William Woitowicz, a young soldier who was killed in Afghanistan in June of the year before. That monument is located at the Sgt. William Woitowicz athletic fields on Route 225, which were also renamed for him.

The other new monument, a Gold Star Memorial that honors service members killed in action in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan, including Woitowicz, was dedicated on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and is located at the Sawyer Common at the intersection of Hollis Street and Martins Pond Road.

Johnson, 59, who has been the veterans agent for a little more than six years, estimates there are about 600 to 800 veterans in Groton.

He has a variety of duties to assist the town's veterans and their dependents.

He is usually in the serving line for the breakfast, which most recently took place April 8 and is also open to immediate family members of veterans, including spouses and children.

Johnson also coordinates the town's Memorial Day parade and is the liaison to other town officials for any issues relating to military or flag matters.

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He said he helps the veterans who contact him to determine which benefits they are eligible for; VA benefits, except for disability compensation, generally require wartime service, but all some benefits require is an honorable discharge.

"If you served, you are a veteran," Johnson said.

He has also helped families of veterans to order military headstones for decorated veterans graves; some veterans are eligible for burial in either the National Veterans Cemery in Bourne or in one of the state veterans cemeteries in Winchendon or Agawam, but they need to have been state residents to qualify, he said.

Johnson's father was in the Navy. A native of New Mexico, Johnson he grew up mostly in New York state and Connecticut. After graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1976 and earning a degree in management, Johnson spent eight years as a pilot, first in Lubbock, Texas, and later in Columbus, Miss., and California. At various points in his military career, he served as an instructor on T-37 trainer planes and also flew the C5 transport planes.

Johnson moved to Massachusetts after completing his military service to take a job as a systems support engineer for IBM, where he worked for 19 years before taking his current position.

Each community in the state has a veterans agent; if the population of the community is 12,000 or more, it's a full-time job. Groton's population is less than that, so Johnson, who moved to the town in 1991, works part-time out of an office at the local American Legion Hall at 75 Hollis St. and also has another part-time job at a software firm in Acton.

A past commander of the Middlesex County American Legion and the adjutant for both local Post #55 in Groton and the Middlesex County chapter of the Legion, he also serves as an emergency management volunteer for the town and is active with the Knights of Columbus.

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